A healthy overhaul for cheese-stuffed chicken

Any meal that is golden and crunchy on the outside and oozes rich melted cheese from inside is bound to be a diet buster, right?

Not always. Though cheddar- and Gorgonzola-stuffed chicken breasts sounds like a health hazard, this recipe is totally reasonable.

To start with, boneless, skinless chicken breasts have almost no fat. Stuffing them with cheese changes that, so keeping it healthy is a matter of selecting the right cheeses.

Reduced-fat cheeses on their own can be short on flavor and not melt well. But blended with a full-fat, intensely flavored cheese such as Gorgonzola, lighter cheeses work well to create a filling that's plenty melty and quite tasty.

Of course, breading and frying the stuffed breasts in half an inch of oil or more, as many of the traditional recipes call for, will put you over a day's recommended fat intake right off.

Instead, the cheese-stuffed chicken breasts here are dipped in egg whites, coated in breadcrumbs, then browned in just a bit of oil swirled over the bottom of a skillet. Then the stuffed breasts are "oven fried" to cook them through and crisp the crumbs to a crunchy golden finish.

To compensate for the flavor that the frying oil would have given the breasts, the coating -- made from seasoned breadcrumbs -- is amended with a prudent amount of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. To get the best flavor in your crumbs, use a high quality cheese such as Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Chicken stuffed with cheddar, Gorgonzola and spinach

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to drain excess water

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 ounce shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

1 ounce crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat (about 1 pound)

1/3 cup seasoned Italian-style breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 large egg whites

Heat the oven to 400 F.

In a medium skillet over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the spinach and Italian seasoning, then cook until all of the liquid has evaporated. Mix in both cheeses. Set aside.

One at a time, lay each chicken breast flat on a cutting board. Use a paring knife to make a horizontal slit along one side to create a pocket in the meat. Do not cut all the way through. Place a quarter of the cheese mixture in the pocket, then press the meat together over it. Repeat with the remaining breasts and set aside.

In a shallow dish or pie plate, mix the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper. In another bowl, lightly beat the egg whites with a fork. Holding a stuffed breast together firmly, dip in the egg whites, then roll in the breadcrumbs. Repeat with the remaining breasts and set aside.

In a large ovenproof skillet over high, heat the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil until shimmering hot. Swirl the oil around the bottom of the pan and carefully add the chicken. Cook until browned on one side, about 2 minutes. Turn breasts over and place the skillet in the oven. Bake until the chicken is no longer pink at the center, about 20 minutes.